Digital Day Subcommittee Chair Randal Kleiser, Featured Guest Speaker DGA Fifth Vice President Jon Favreau and Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan. See more photos and video in the gallery below.
On Saturday, July 26, more than 530 participants gathered for the twelfth annual Digital Day at the DGA, held at the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater complex. This year's event was titled “Eye on the Future” and provided the opportunity for DGA members and guests to learn about the latest technologies via presentations, panel discussions and interactive hands-on demonstrations and exhibits.
The day began in DGA Theater One with a welcome from DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan who spoke from a remote location via a BeamPro robot from Suitable Technologies, followed by a preview of the day’s offerings from Special Projects Digital Day Subcommittee Chair Randal Kleiser. (See video from this presentation in the gallery below.)
Spherical Storytelling
2014 Digital Day’s first presentation was Spherical Storytelling: Virtual Reality Takes Off, an exploration of virtual reality as a new medium for narrative filmmaking with Director Gregory Plotkin (the upcoming Paranormal Activity 5), whose debut short film Black Mass was shot with the cutting-edge 360-degree image capture technology of the Jaunt VR for viewing with the Oculus Rift headset, and Jaunt VR Vice President of Content Scott Broock. The conversation was moderated by Synthespian Studios CEO Jeff Kleiser who has contributed to visual effects for feature films including Flight of the Navigator, Stargate, Judge Dredd, and the X-Men trilogy and is currently completing a 360 degree film project on water conservation for a Science Museum in Qatar.
What’s New on the Web?
The next session in Theater One, What’s New on the Web?, discussed the myriad of types of content available on the Internet in a conversation moderated by Director Jon Avnet (The Starter Wife), that featured Avnet, the Co-Founder of WIGS, an award-winning multi-platform digital channel offering original scripted content and documentaries on YouTube, Hulu and Hulu+; Director Brian Robbins (A Thousand Words), the CEO & Founder of AwesomenessTV, one of the fastest growing YouTube channels for adolescents, as well as the ATVNetwork, a Multi-Channel Network focused on discovering and supporting the next generation of YouTube stars; Reza Izad, a Co-Founder and the CEO of Collective Digital Studio, a digital media company overseeing one of the largest YouTube Multi-Channel Networks, with over 700 channels delivering nearly a billion views per month; Alejandro Treviño, an Executive Producer in the Entertainment Division of Maker Studios, a multi-channel network that provides worldwide online video content for millennials. (See video from this presentation in the gallery below.)
New Technologies for Live Shows
The third session in Theater One, New Technologies for Live Shows: Expanding the Creative Toolkit, looked at the challenges and rewards of using cutting edge technologies like 360 degree cameras, social media interface tools, projection screens and graphics for audiences watching live variety, awards, and reality programming for television and the internet. The panel featured Directors Gregg Gelfand (American Idol) talking about his experience on the new musical talent show Rising Star; Glenn Weiss (68th Annual Tony Awards) on the process of re-creating the layered textures and backgrounds for live performances of scenes from this year’s Tony-nominated shows; Stimulated Inc. Founder/CEO Robb Wagner on putting together live music videos for the first Annual YouTube Awards; and Team Coco Digital Senior Digital Producer Aaron Bleyaert and General Manager & Executive Producer John A. Wooden discussing the integration of immersive technology on Conan360. The discussion was moderated by Director Jonathan X (Tavis Smiley). (See video from this presentation in the gallery below.)
Featured Guest Speaker Jon Favreau
Following lunch, Digital Day resumed in Theater One with Director and DGA Fifth Vice President Jon Favreau (Ironman, Ironman 2, Chef), who discussed the creative opportunities of using new CGI technologies for both big budget “tentpole” projects and smaller independent films, and how digital technology has played a pivotal — and often surprising — role in enhancing his own visual storytelling.
Creative and Production iPhone and iPad Apps
This year’s event also saw the return of the popular Creative and Production iPhone and iPad Apps for Directors and Director’s Team Members. Presented by the DGA AD/UPM Council West’s AD/UPM VFX/Digital Technology Committee, this demonstration revealed the latest in practical and creative apps for mobile devices presented by DGA AD/UPM VFX/Digital Technology Committee Chair Susan Zwerman (Barely Lethal); Director Mark Parry (Veterans of Color); Associate Director Brad Duns (Dancing with the Stars); Zoic Studios Pipeline Department Head Mike Romey; and software developer Rhys Ryan. (See video from this presentation in the gallery below.)
Next Generation Cinema Technology
The final Theater One presentation of Digital Day was a sneak peek at upcoming technological advances currently being researched to solve problems and provide creative opportunities for filmmakers. Andy Maltz, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Science & Technology Council Managing Director, presented the Council’s latest investigations on the need for standards and methods of digital preservation and the creation of the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES). (See video from this presentation in the gallery below.)
Theater Two Screenings:
Digital Day attendees also enjoyed a rotating series of short screenings in DGA Theater Two that included: a call for entries video for the 4th Annual Streamy Awards, the video Pre-History of Online Video by VlogBrothers John & Hank Green, the FLIR Music Video Route 94 “My Love” featuring Jess Glynne directed by Ryan Staake, the video Francesca da Rimini Behind-the-Scenes directed by Tarik Abdel-Gawad and utilizing Bot & Dolly’s Robot-Controlled Camera, a reel from Vortex Immersion Media, a presentation of Advancements in Camera Systems by Radiant Images, and a Film Foundation introductory film restoration demonstration with Director Martin Scorsese using Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 classic The Red Shoes.
Hands-On Demos and Exhibits
In the DGA lobby and Theater Three, attendees were able to engage in hands-on demonstrations and exhibits such as:
- A demonstration by The Third Floor exploring storytelling in virtual reality wearing the latest VR Headsets to experience media in 360 degrees.
- A demonstration by Zoic Studios revealing ways to communicate virtual production with your creative team using the Zeus: Scout app on your iPad to storyboard, previz and more.
- A demonstration by Suitable Technologies of how to navigate a remote location with the BeamPro Smart Presence System.
- A demonstration by Pixel Magic of CG crowd solutions with before and after mixing of CG and GS people.
- A demonstration by TNG of how to replicate an existing object or person by creating its virtual representation using 3D scanning.
- A demonstration by Breezelooks of how to plug into a user-friendly, on-demand pipeline to create budget-conscious, dynamic multimedia content for a variety of platforms.
- A demonstration by Rightscorp, Inc. of a way to get ISPs to stop their subscribers from file-sharing your content.
- A demonstration by New Deal Studios of the uses of 3D printing for efficient fabrication in production.
- A demonstration by Creative District of how to locate creative collaborators for your projects through a dedicated online professional network.
- A demonstration by Immersive Media of 360° interactive video on multiple devices across a variety of platforms.
- A demonstration by UCFTI EXPO detailing how to find connections to the Chinese Film & TV Industry.
- A demonstration by Digital Sputnik of how to enhance image capture with a high-end LED lighting system.
- And hands-on exhibits of the latest camera and technologies from ARRI, Jaunt VR, JVC, Panasonic, RED and Sony.
Following the 2014 Digital Day at the DGA, there was a wrap party at the Technicolor Hollywood facility at Sunset Gower Studios, where the company demonstrated the latest innovations in color, from on-set and on-location dailies to finish color-grading.